Study 66
Give yourself
How did the Macedonians respond to God's liberating grace? They didn't only give a financial gift, they expressed absolute devotion to God. 'They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us' (2 Cor. 8:5). Until you give yourself, every gift is a battle! While you regard your possessions as essentially your own and entirely at your disposal you'll be vulnerable to permanent inner conflict. When you give yourself, everything you have comes under God's control and giving as he directs is a matter of ongoing response to God's grace.
Not only did the Macedonians give themselves to God, they also gave themselves to the apostles. This was no token piety. They wanted to devote themselves to Paul and his co-labourers and identify fully with them in their calling. So they gladly gave themselves to him, doubtless remembering that he'd first given himself to them in sacrificial service, persecution and imprisonment as he brought the gospel to their towns.
As we build his church, God wants us not only to give ourselves to him but also to people whom he has anointed and raised up. Giving isn't a private and personal matter. It's an appropriate outworking and joint ownership of the apostolic mission, a partnership in grace and loyalty.
The powerful New Covenant didn't change believers' giving from 10% to 15%, or cut it to 7%. It produced a people who were joined to one another in love. The grace of God knitted their hearts so profoundly that they shared their finances and became known for their exceeding generosity.
Excel in this grace of giving
Paul congratulated the Corinthians on many aspects of their Christian life, namely their faith, speech, knowledge, earnestness and love. Then he exhorted them to ‘excel in this grace of giving' (2 Cor. 8:7). He was aiming at comprehensive Christian discipleship. They weren't meant to shine in some areas but merely flicker in others. For Paul the goal was well-balanced maturity.
In other words he was telling them: ‘You're an amazingly charismatic church. You're excelling in power and in spiritual gifts. But don't be unbalanced. Don't be content with speaking in tongues or prophecy. Be a giver too. Be an all round Christian. Excel in every possible area.'
Beware the danger of assessing your spirituality selectively. God wants you to be seriously committed to giving away money. Generosity is one of the key characteristics of a grace filled believer. So would you describe yourself as generous?
Sincere love
Next Paul told the Corinthians, ‘I want to test the sincerity of your love' (2 Cor. 8:8). James warns us that ‘faith without deeds is dead' (James 2:26). It's easy to be caught up in a song of devotion. ‘Lord Jesus, I love you,' we sing. But words can be cheap.
I well remember an occasion when we were approaching a special gift day in my home church in Brighton. We'd set ourselves a massive target and, as the time approached, the date of the gift day happened to coincide closely with the maturity date of an investment that I'd made. As a responsible husband and father I'd contributed for seven years to a government fund called a Tessa. If you saved systematically you didn't have to pay tax and the capital sum accumulated well.
One Sunday we were singing a beautiful song that begins, ‘I will worship with all of my heart'. I joined the men's part, ‘‘I will trust you, give you everything' and the women echoed, ‘Give you everything'. Just then I heard God speak into my spirit. ‘Thank you very much,' he said. ‘I'll have the Tessa!' He was testing the sincerity of my worship. His grace softened my heart and released my grip on my investment. Doubtless many others responded obediently to his promptings and we once again hit our corporate gift day target.
To Meditate On
Beware the love of money.
‘No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money' (Matt. 6:24).
‘The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs' (1 Tim. 6:10).
‘Keep yourselves free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you"' (Heb. 13:5).
Food For Thought
God prizes other things above earthly riches:
Redemption (1 Pet. 1:18,19)
Wisdom (Prov. 3:13-16)
A good reputation (Prov. 22:1)
A good wife (Prov. 31:10)
Healing (Acts 3:6)
Spiritual power (Acts 8:19,20)
Spiritual riches (Rev. 3:18)
To Consider
Maturity is linked to your attitude to money (see Luke 8:14).
How would you rate your maturity?
To Do
Give something to someone this week (money, a card expressing appreciation, a small gift, a meal, coffee, time, etc.)
To Be Inspired
‘How we use our money demonstrates the reality of our love for God. In some ways it proves our love more conclusively than depth or knowledge, length of prayers or prominence of service. These things can be feigned, but the use of our possessions shows us up for what we actually are.'
Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Balancing the Christian Life |
|
